Professor Mark Meyerhoff

Philip J. Elving Collegiate Professor of Chemistry at University of Michigan

Bio

Mark E. Meyerhoff is currently Philip J. Elving Professor of Chemistry of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He received his Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1979, working with Professor Garry A. Rechnitz. Following a short post-doctoral stint at the University of Delaware (also with Prof. G. A. Rechnitz), he joined the faculty at Michigan as an Assistant Professor in the Fall of 1979. He was promoted to associate professor in 1985, and to full professor in 1990.

Professor Meyerhoff’s primary research interests are in the field of analytical chemistry, particularly the development of new ion-, gas-, and bio-selective electrochemical/optical sensors suitable for direct measurements of clinically important analytes in physiological samples. He also has a very active research program in the area of biomaterials, especially the development and characterization of novel nitric oxide (NO) releasing/generating polymeric materials for biomedical applications. These advanced NO release materials are being examined as potent antithrombotic and bactericidal coatings for a wide range of medical devices. He and his collaborators have authored more than 340 original research papers on these and other topics over the past 35 years since beginning his independent academic career at Michigan. His research has been funded by a series of grants from the National Institutes of Health.

Professor Meyerhoff received the University of Michigan’s Faculty Recognition Award in 1990, was elected as a Fellow by the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry in 2002, received the ACS-Division of Analytical Chemistry Award in Electrochemistry in 2003, the Society for Electroanalytical Chemistry’s Reilley Award in 2006, The University of Michigan’ Outstanding Graduate Mentoring Award in 2006, and the University of Michigan’s Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award in 2011. He has served or currently serves on the editorial/advisory boards of Analytical Chemistry, Clinical Chemistry, Electroanalysis, Analytica Chimica Acta, Mikrochimica Acta, and Biosensors and Bioelectronics. He is also active as a consultant and/or is on the Scientific Advisory Boards of several biomedical companies including Instrumentation Laboratory, I-SENS, EyeLab, Biocrede, and Selective Technologies, Inc. Previously, he served as consultant to Dow, Abbott Laboratories, Sensicore, Mallinkrodt Medical, Eli Lilly, Bolton Medical, Medtronic, Angioscore, Michigan Critical Care Consultants, and GDS Technologies.

Electrochemical Sensors in Medicine: Meeting Needs for the 21st Century

Over the past 30 years, miniaturized potentiometric and amperometric sensors for ions (K+, Ca2+, Na+, Mg2+, Cl-, H+), gases (O2, CO2), and nutrients/metabolites (glucose, lactate, creatinine, urea) have revolutionized the practice of critical care medicine by providing tools to measure an array of physiologically important species, simultaneously, in small volumes of undiluted whole blood. Indeed, all modern whole blood analyzers used in hospitals worldwide now employ such electrochemical sensor arrays as either single-use or multi-use devices for near-patient testing, especially in operating rooms, emergency rooms, intensive care units, etc. Further, nearly all glucometers now use electrochemical measurement principles to provide accurate glucose concentrations for millions of diabetic patients each and every day, both in the hospital and at home. A brief overview of these existing electrochemical sensor technologies that have already had such great impact in medicine will be provided during the introduction portion of this lecture.

At the same time, there remain a number of unmet needs in medicine where electrochemical devices could still play important analytical roles. Therefore, in the major portion of this presentation the following ongoing research projects will be highlighted: 1) devising a simple method to detect levels of potassium within red blood cells (RBC-K) in undiluted whole blood samples as a marker for hypertension; 2) recent efforts to utilize electrochemical sensors for measurement of polyionic drugs and associated contaminants (including the anticoagulant heparin, low-molecular weight heparins, and inflammatory oversulfated chondroitin sulfate (OSCS) contaminants in biomedical heparin preparations, etc.); 3) research related to the development of implantable electrochemical sensors for ions, gases, glucose, etc. that emit low levels of nitric oxide (NO) (a potent anti-platelet and antimicrobial agent) and that can potentially be used to continuously monitor critical care species with intravascular catheters in hospital patients with improved accuracy; and 4) the possibility of measuring glucose levels in tiny volumes of tear fluid with electrochemical enzyme electrode devices as a simple less-invasive means to monitor blood glucose levels for patients with Type 1 diabetes.